1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for encrypting images, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for encrypting images in a camera as part of the image acquisition process.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The use of encryption techniques to secure messages is well known in history. With modern data communications and storage devices often accessible by third parties, the securing of information is a problem receiving a great deal of attention. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,630 by Tseng et al. a system for maintaining the security of information transmitted between facsimile machines is described wherein messages on paper are encrypted by the facsimile machine, transmitted in secure encrypted form and decrypted at the receiving end. U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,924 discloses a method of encryption using a scanner with digital technology to record an image and then sample and encrypt a portion of it for comparison with an image presented on an I.D. card.
In order to secure data transmission, the data is encoded on the sending end and decoded at the receiving end. This deters a third party from deciphering the message in route. Such a method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,653 by Katsurabayashi.
A method of securing payment documents is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,202 wherein a document is signed by a customer and a copy of the signature is captured in digital form. Thereafter the signature is encrypted and saved along with a digital record of the transaction.
In addition to the above methods of achieving secured messages, signatures and I.D. cards, there is a need in the area of conventional digital photography. Images captured and stored by a digital camera on a PCMCIA card, or downloaded to a PC are subject to interception and viewing by unauthorized persons. Typically, a digital camera outputs digital image data to a PCMCIA card, disk, or through lines to a computer. The card or disk could be intercepted and the image viewed, or the data downloaded to a computer could be extracted prior to an encryption procedure. Newspaper reporters, investigators, etc. have a need to temporarily store photographic images in a way that is secure from unauthorized viewing. There is, therefore, a need for a camera that will provide encrypted, secure image data from the moment of image acquisition.